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Jamaica has taken up its customary position atop the Carifta Games table after day one, amassing 22 medals, including eight gold, nine silver and five bronze, last Saturday (April 4).

The 53rd staging of the Caribbean’s premier youth three-day athletics championship is taking place at the Kirani James Stadium in Grenada and will be completed on Monday.

Since the Carifta Games were started in 1972. Jamaica has topped the tables for 47 of the 52 years and for the last 41 consecutive years. The last time Jamaica didn’t top the table was in 1984, when The Bahamas did.

Last year, Jamaica won 78 medals consisting of 30 gold, 27 silver and 21 bronze, with The Bahamas tallying 37 medals overall.

Jamaica will be hard-pressed to overhaul the record tally of 92 they achieved in 2022 when they hosted the event.

However, the charge is led by the impressive Shanoya Douglas, who won the Girls Under-20 100m in 11.13 (-0.8 m/s) as her teammate Natrece East took bronze in 11.41. Alexxe Henry of Trinidad and Tobago was third in 11.39.

Jamaica’s Nyron Wade showed the depth of Jamaican sprinting as he snatched silver in the Boys Under-20 100m in 10.27s behind gold medallist Miles Outerbridge of Bermuda, who won in 10.21s. Wade was eight at the just concluded Jamaican high school championship.

Jamaica’s Kai Kelly captured the Boys Under-17, stopping the clock at 10.37s. Kelly defeated the Trinidad and Tobago pair of Jayden Goodridge (10.48s)  and Jaquan Douglas (10.67s). Jamaica’s Joshua Ricketts was fourth in 10.75s.

In the Girls Under-17 100m, Jamaica’s Azaria Harris was fourth in 11.73s. Tyra Fenton of Antigua won in 11.30s.

Joseph Salmon, Joshua Patrick, Jason Pitter, Shameika McLean, Joel Morgan and Jevaughn Tomlin all struck gold.

Salmon won the Under-20 discus with 65.38m as Jamaica got the quinella with Kamari Kennedy silver with 55.39m. Patrick won the Under-17 Triple Jump, leaping 14.59m. His teammate Talshawn Edwards won the silver with 14.35m.

 Shameika McLean broke the Girls Under-17 400m record, clocking 52.47s. The previous record was 53.19s set in 2018 by Megan Ross of The Bahamas. 

Jason Pitter captured gold in the Boys Under-17 400m, winning in 47.47s, some way off his personal best of 45.76s he ran last week at Champs. But he made it known that he was tired and just did enough to win.  Jamaica’s Diwayne Sharpe won the silver in 47.83.

Jamaica’s Joel Morgan struck gold in the Under-20, winning in 4:00.96, while Jevaughn Tomlin took the gold in the Under-17, winning in 4:10.92. Luke Plummer grabbed bronze with 4:12.19.